Government decision a big factor in future direction of Leonardo in Yeovil, says company boss

A Leonardo Helicopters boss has said that the company is waiting on a British government decision before deciding on the future direction of its Yeovil branch.

The company is looking to transfer the final assembly of the AgustaWestland AW149 from Italy to its Yeovil plant, but only if it is selected by the Ministry of Defence (MoD).

Leonardo is hoping that its product will be chosen as a replacement for the Royal Air Force’s fleet of Airbus Helicopters Puma HC2s, which are due to retire in 2025, but they could also replace some of the heavier AW101 Merlin HM2 and HC4/4As operated by the Royal Navy in 2035.

Daniele Romiti, managing director of Leonardo Helicopters, says that if the AW149 is chosen by the MoD, production could be transferred to Yeovil from its plant in Vergiate, Italy.

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He said: “The AW149 if selected by the UK (armed forces) eventually could be a way to sell the AW149 abroad. My interest would be putting the AW149 build line in Yeovil.

“I’m not saying that the numbers have to come only from the UK government, but when the UK government selects that, it is going to be a strong push for export sales.”

However, he added that it is “difficult to sell a military product abroad if your country has not selected it”.

If the government chooses to purchase the AW149, it could secure longer term stability for the Yeovil factory, and former local MP Paddy Ashdown has written to the government to press them for a decision.

He wrote: “You will notice that Daniele Romiti makes it clear that moving the assembly of the AW149 to Yeovil depends in large measure on the size of the government order of these aircraft.

“Has this decision been made? And if not, when might it be?”

In the interim, the focus at Yeovil seems to lie elsewhere. In February 2017, the MoD awarded Leonardo Helicopters a two-year capability demonstration contract covering the development of rotary-wing unmanned air vehicles.

Daniele Romiti said: “I hope the UK will be taking more and more ownership of what we have put inside the SPA. The goal was to go ahead in unmanned rotary applications.”

A spokesperson for Leonardo said: "Assembling the AW149 at Yeovil is one of the possibilities the company is looking at as it looks at its medium and long term plans for the Yeovil site."